In manufacturing a light-sensitive planographic printing plate, for example, a light-sensitive material is dissolved in a suitable solvent, then coated and dried on a support. And as a measure to improve the coatability, a fluorine-containing surfactant is added to a solution dissolving a light-sensitive composition. Japanese Pat. O.P.I. Pub. Nos. 40249/1982 and 178242/1987, for example, describe that a uniform coating thickness can be obtained, without unevenness in coating, by coating and drying a light-sensitive coating solution to which a fluorine-containing surfactant is added in advance.
Japanese Pat. O.P.I. Pub. Nos. 135004/1979, 170950/1987 and 226143/1987, for example, describe that use of a light-sensitive composition containing an acrylic polymer surfactant bearing a fluorine containing aliphatic fluorinealiphatic group gives a uniform coating thickness, or improves the coatability of a light-sensitive coating solution.
Though this technique gives a good coatability, it cannot provide a light-sensitive composition having an adequate storage stability, because the solvent-solubility of the light-sensitive composition is so poor that gelation occurs after coating, and in a heavy case, precipitates are formed in a light-sensitive coating solution.
In addition, though conventional fluorine-containing surfactants can improve the coatability, they have a disadvantage of lowering the image visibility on light exposure.